MiR-199a-3p Regulates the PTPRF/β-Catenin Axis in Hair Follicle Development: Insights into the Pathogenic Mechanism of Alopecia Areata

• Published in: International journal of molecular sciences Vol. 24; no. 24; p. 17632
• Main Authors: Wang, Jiankui, Ma, Yuhao, Li, Tun, Li, Jinnan, Yang, Xue, Hua, Guoying, Cai, Ganxian, Zhang, Han, Liu, Zhexi, Wu, Keliang, Deng, Xuemei
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Switzerland MDPI AG 18-12-2023
• Subjects: Alopecia; Alopecia Areata; Animals; Antagomirs; Baldness; beta Catenin - genetics; Disease Models, Animal; Follicles; Genes; Hair; Hair Follicle - pathology; hair follicle development; intracutaneous/intravenous injection; Mice; MicroRNAs - genetics; miR-199a-3p; PTPRF; Sheep; Skin; Wnt/β-catenin pathway; Wool; intracutaneous/intravenous injection; Wnt/β-catenin pathway; alopecia areata; hair follicle development; miR-199a-3p; PTPRF
• ISSN: 1422-0067; 1661-6596; 1422-0067
• DOI: 10.3390/ijms242417632

Alopecia areata is an autoimmune disease characterized by the immune system attacking self hair follicles, mainly in the scalp. There is no complete cure, and the pathogenesis is still not fully understood. Here, sequencing of skin tissues collected from 1-month-old coarse- and fine-wool lambs identified
as the only small RNA significantly overexpressed in the fine-wool group, suggesting a role in hair follicle development.
expression was concentrated in the dermal papillae cells of sheep hair follicles, along with enhanced β-catenin expression and the inhibition of PTPRF protein expression. We also successfully constructed a mouse model of alopecia areata by intracutaneous injection with an
antagomir. Injection of the
agomir resulted in hair growth and earlier anagen entry. Conversely, local injection with the
antagomir resulted in suppressed hair growth at the injection site, upregulation of immune system-related genes, and downregulation of hair follicle development-related genes. In vivo and in vitro analyses demonstrated that
regulates hair follicle development through the PTPRF/β-catenin axis. In conclusion, a mouse model of alopecia areata was successfully established by downregulation of a small RNA, suggesting the potential value of
in the study of alopecia diseases. The regulatory role of
in the PTPRF/β-catenin axis was confirmed, further demonstrating the link between alopecia areata and the Wnt-signaling pathway.